Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

Tolerance traditions of Azerbaijan have been appraised at the meeting of Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations Mubariz Gurbanli and Head of the Azerbaijan Office of the American Jews Support Organization (Vaad L Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel), Rabbi Shmuel Simantov.

During the October 28 meeting, Gurbanli noted that people of several religious live in peace in Azerbaijan. He stressed that tolerance is the main pillar of politics in Azerbaijan.

"Azerbaijani citizens are able to take the maximum opportunity provided by the Law on "Freedom of Religion". Religious stability in Azerbaijan's socio-political life stands out as compared to those in other countries. All religious confessions share equal opportunities. Today, Azerbaijan is the model of tolerance in the world," Gurbanli said.

Simantov, for his part, provided information about the organization.

He noted that as a Jewish community, they always speak about the tolerance of Azerbaijani people and the importance which President Ilham Aliyev attaches to it.

"We promote Azerbaijan both in Israel and America, as we were born in Azerbaijan and this land is our birthplace. Azerbaijanis always respect Jewish people and we always support Azerbaijani people and state," he said.

The chairman also expressed his satisfaction with the care provided to the Jewish people and the high level of religion-state relations in Azerbaijan.

The sides also mulled bilateral cooperation and joint projects, which may strengthen fraternal ties between the two sides.

At the end of the meeting, Gurbanli presented a book about religious temples to Simantov.

The Azerbaijani and Jewish peoples enjoy a long tradition of tolerance and interaction. Estimated 9,000 Jews in the country are "fully part" of Azerbaijani society.

Several synagogues are operating in the capital of Azerbaijan, as well as in Guba and Oguz regions. Synagogue, opened in Baku in 2003 is one of the largest one in Europe. In September 2003, the first Jewish school was opened in Baku.